The Number of the Beast
by VictimofYourOwnCreation
Summary: A collection of shorts on the interaction between Naruto and the Kyuubi. Each story is exactly 666 words. Rated T for language, among other things. Chapter Six: Fight Fire with Fire.
1. Prisoner of My Mind

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**The Number of the Beast  
><strong>_-  
>1. Prisoner of My Mind<em>

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><p>A loud roar of frustration escaped the blonde as he threw the water balloon across the field. He didn't get it; he did everything he was told to do by that perverted sage, Jiraiya, but the rubber ball that lay in front of him wouldn't give in and pop. It wiggled in the wind, mocking him, daring him to try again, and again, and <em>again<em>. But his arms protested, sore from the extensive channeling of his chakra.

Summoning all of his strength, Naruto picked the balloon back up for approximately his six hundred and fifty-seventh try. He'd been at it for several days now, and the fact that he couldn't get the knack of the trick irked him beyond imagination. If he couldn't get this done, how was he ever to become Hokage? He gritted his teeth.

_No_.

He wouldn't allow himself to think that way.

Conjuring yet another chunk of chakra from his large reserves, he guided it to his right hand using a seal and started rotating it inside the water balloon. The rubber started to bulge in several places, confirming the movement of his chakra inside the balloon. The thing he lacked was power, though, as he was soon forced to give in to exhaustion without damaging the object he held. He cursed.

He decided to take a break from practicing this technique (his exhaustion had even made him forget what it was called) and find something to get rid of the burning sensation that strained his muscles even further. His attempts were to no avail; there was nothing he could do but rest.

From somewhere, Naruto heard a cruel, mocking laugh. It echoed throughout the field, both angering and terrifying the blonde. Who dared make fun of his misery? Who had the guts to laugh at his failure, humiliating him like that?

"_I do,"_ a voice in his mind said. _"In fact, I think you're a pathetic excuse for a jinchuuriki."_

Flames of sorrow, terror and evil intent erupted in front of Naruto's eyes, clouding his vision and engulfing him into a state of unconsciousness. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the field or even on the planet.

"_Welcome to my lair,"_ the voice growled as Naruto was still trying to wrap his head around everything that happened. _"Allow me to introduce myself: I am the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, often referred to as the Kyuubi."_

Mortified, Naruto staggered back. "S-show yourself!" He demanded while pointing his finger into the barren nether. With his voice shaky and his whole body trembling, he didn't make much of an impression. The demon laughed again, filling the blonde to the brim with utter desperation.

Then it appeared. Vast, terrifying and malicious, the Kyuubi rattled the cage that bound him to the soul of his host. It was Naruto's turn to snicker at the other's misery, building his courage. The demon roared.

"_Insolent fool! I allow you to defile my lair with your puny existence, and you repay me by mocking my situation!"_

"In fact, I think it's time we strike a bit of a bargain," Naruto mused out loud. "Maybe we can help each other."

The Kyuubi bared its fangs in a wicked smirk. _"You are smarter than I gave you credit for, human. What do you propose?"_

"Teach me how to control my chakra," the blonde stated, his cerulean eyes sparking with the Will of Fire his village was renowned for. "Teach me the secrets of chakra manipulation, and I will no longer bother you with my presence."

"_That is an insult! You call that a bargain? I demand my freedom in exchange!"_ The demon tried to claw at the young shinobi through the sports of the metal barricade, enraging him further when he was unable to touch the blonde.

Naruto turned away from the Kyuubi and walked off. "Suit yourself."

Returning to the present, Naruto picked up the water balloon again and popped it without effort. He smirked.

Mission accomplished.

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><p>[Author's Note]<p>

The idea behind it is Naruto getting a better grip on his chakra by simply being in the presence of the Kyuubi. I hope you like the concept and enjoyed the first installment.

Signed,  
><em>VictimofYourOwnCreation<em>


	2. The Root of All Evil

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**The Number of the Beast  
><strong>_-  
>2. Root of All Evil<em>

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><p>Looking up to his teammate, his rival, his <em>friend<em>, Naruto gritted his teeth. There had been little compassion in the deep onyx of the Uchiha's eyes before, but the ice-cold gaze and sneer that he looked down upon them with was entirely void of any emotion. The blonde snarled and prepared for an attack.

Then Sasuke was gone. It took less than a blink of an eye, faster than he had ever been.

Gasping, Naruto staggered back, amazed by the sheer speed of his former teammate. Sasuke kept his stoic expression throughout the entire process as he landed to the blonde's left. He had swung an arm around Naruto's throat before he had even processed what was going on. Then, his expression changed. His face dropped from amazed and somewhat intimidated, to a sad version of Sasuke's emotionless expression.

"Tell me, Naruto. Still dreaming to be Hokage?"

Naruto snorted. "Some Hokage I would be." He sighed, closed his eyes for a few seconds and looked up at the sky when he reopened them. "I mean, what village wants a Hokage that can't even save a friend? I don't even deserve the title if I can't even do that."

The Uchiha's mouth twitched into a smirk, which disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Naruto, as well as Sakura, the wood element user and that pale kid with the gay outfit all stood frozen to the spot, unable or refusing to believe what they were seeing. Inwardly, Sasuke smirked; no matter how much he may have matured or how much it's out of character, he liked this unwilling admiration of his skills.

"Sasuke…" Naruto muttered, his voice dripping with mournful agony. He couldn't find the exact words to voice his feelings, so he gave up, fuelling Sasuke's confidence as he slowly unsheathed his katana. The metal of the blade sang as it scraped the edges of the sheath, and Naruto didn't move.

"The last time we faced off, I let you live on a whim… Now I will kill you on a whim."

He commenced to strike. One blow would put an end to Naruto's life, and his pathetic attempts of 'rescuing' Sasuke.

_"Naruto…"_

The scene changed. Naruto's consciousness was pulled into the familiar, malicious sewer-like part of his soul that held the lair of the Kyuubi. And sure enough, the demon itself was there as well, sporting its trademark evil grin. The malevolence in the atmosphere was so think you could cut it with a kunai, Naruto noticed with an uncomfortable shudder.

_"Naruto…" _the Kyuubi repeated. _"All we have to do is show him a fragment of true power…"_

"So this is the source of your power, Naruto," a third voice said in a very self-satisfied tone; a voice that belonged to none other than Sasuke Uchiha. Too amazed to utter a word, Naruto took a few shaky steps back while he looked at the mental image of his friend. The Kyuubi chuckled.

_"My, my… One of the Uchiha clan, eh? That you can even see me inside of Naruto… Impressive. It's that blasted Sharingan." _The demon scowled as Sasuke smirked, causing it to snicker maliciously again. _"Those eyes, and that sinister chakra… You're the spitting image of Madara Uchiha." _The fox grinned. _"Correct. I am indeed the source of Naruto's power."_

At that exact moment, Naruto rediscovered his ability to speak and broke into the conversation. "Don't flatter yourself, you treacherous, murderous _fuck_." He forced both Sasuke and the Kyuubi out of his head and returned to the present day, where he hooked Sasuke straight in the jaw right before the Uchiha had the chance to stab him.

Amazed, Sasuke scrambled up from the floor. This fact made Naruto smile; if Sasuke was amazed, then he really achieved something. He stood straight and crossed his arms. "That dreaded day at the Valley of the End, that may have been him… But I promise you that the next time, you'll be facing my power and mine alone."

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><p>[Author's Note]<p>

In short, this is my take on the fated meeting between to lost friends, tweaked to fit the requirements for this story. I hope you enjoyed it and please, don't be rude. Leave a review. Thanks.

Signed,  
><em>VictimofYourOwnCreation<em>


	3. The Animal's Soul

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**The Number of the Beast  
><strong>_-  
>3. The Animal's Soul<em>

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><p>Why did being a ninja have to hurt so much?<p>

Naruto forced his muscles to move, straining them to the point of agony, courtesy of the countless senbon that were jabbed into him as if he were a voodoo doll. Whoever was responsible for this was not leaving this bridge breathing, that was one thing that was for sure…

Hold on a second. Where exactly did that morbid thought come from?

Unfamiliar with the harsh, almost _cruel_ way of thinking that his mind displayed before him, his musings were interrupted by another sharp pang of pain that sent a burning sensation through every fibre of his body. Even moving around was literally killing him; tiny traces of blood oozed out of the many puncture wounds he had sustained in his battle with the ice element user. Staggering to his feet and having trouble keeping his balance, Naruto found his will to fight again and sent a furious glare in the direction of his opponent.

"There is no escape," came the cold, merciless voice from one of the many ice mirrors. "You don't stand a chance of surviving. Allow me to show you the new definition of true terror."

Naruto gritted his teeth, against all odds refusing to admit defeat. "Tch. L-like hell I wi-will…" he murmured through the pain. His foolish bravery was rewarded by another barrage of senbon, all dripping with a paralysis poison. But for some reason, the venom failed and the blonde kept going, no matter what. He pushed himself to his feet again, his entire body shaking in its desperate attempts to support its own weight. "If it's the last thing I'll do, _I will kill you!"_

"You fool!" The ice element user sneered. "Your ignorance will be your downfall! Give it up, and join your friend in death!"

For the first time since the battle (read: their struggle for survival) had commenced, Naruto looked over at Sasuke. The Uchiha had collapsed to the floor from the last attack and remained there, a motionless and… _lifeless_ lump of flesh and bone.

Something inside him snapped.

The pain that had terrorized his nerves and muscles for what seemed like forever numbed, and Naruto could feel a new level of blind rage boil up inside of him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before; he didn't just want to kill his opponent – he wanted to _annihilate_ him, tear him to pieces with his bare hands and make him watch his own heart beat its last beat. He wanted to see the blood cascade off the edges of this very bridge, and watch the currents turn crimson. The same crimson he saw before his eyes now.

It was as if his chakra boiled up inside of him and came to an eruption, flaming red and with killing intent so ferocious that it struck fear into the hearts of even the most seasoned of shinobi. The immense pressure of sheer power shattered the unbreakable dome of mirrors like glass, the countless shards raining down on the unleashed Naruto. His eyes had turned into demonic slits, pupils flaring the same shade of red as the malicious chakra. In the blink of an eye, he stood before his opponent, grabbing the latter's neck in a death-grip powerful enough to crush every bone in it.

"_There is no escape," _the possessed Naruto snarled, his voice a sinister growl of pure hatred and death. _"You don't stand a chance of surviving. Allow me to show you the new definition of true terror." _

Frozen to the spot from shock and utter desperation, the ice element user couldn't lift a finger to attempt to avoid a certain death when Naruto ran his lengthened, sharpened nails straight through his chest in one mighty blow, leaving nothing but shreds of flesh of his heart and a good part of his lungs.

"_Perfect," _the awakened Kyuubi snarled, plastering its wicked smirk on Naruto's now blood-stained face. _"You'll make a perfect subject, Naruto Uzumaki…"_

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><p>[Author's Note]<p>

The awakening of the Beast within. It's slightly different than the canon event, but I still think it's worth the read. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, but please, do let me know. Thanks.

Signed,  
><em>VictimofYourOwnCreation<em>


	4. Children of the Grave

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**The Number of the Beast  
><strong>_-  
>4. Children of the Grave<em>

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><p><em>"Naruto…"<em>

That metallic taste – he was quite positive it was blood – wasn't supposed to be there.

Come to think of it, he didn't recall the last time his body _hurt _this much on average, either.

…

Conclusion: _something's not right._

Unable to remember how he got himself injured, what he did to get himself into this mess or even where 'this mess' was, Naruto tried to pierce the black void that was draped over his eyes. Oddly enough, he found himself unable to.

_"Naruto…"_

Nameless shapes and unidentifiable colors started a hurricane of images, words, sounds and something else, the name of which escaping him for some strange reason. The pressure it provided strained his already aching muscles to the point at which Naruto nearly screamed in agony, though. His hurting made way for the uncomfortable sense of looming danger when he opened his eyes once he found out he could.

Somehow, he should've expected this.

The little light that came through nowhere fell over the large room, illuminating it just enough to make out the obvious sewer-like details. He was ankle-deep in the mixture of filthy water and the liquid chakra that oozed out of the cage that held the Kyuubi, hidden deep into the forgotten corners of his forlorn soul. The demon itself was donning its trademark evil smirk, licking its lips with a slimy, pointy tongue. Naruto instantly felt the need to throw up.

_"There you are, Naruto…"_

The blonde didn't respond, and instead tried to focus on recollecting the events that had sent him here, to this dreaded place that he'd much rather avoid at all costs. He vaguely recalled a red-headed boy with blue eyes, and Sasuke, and Sakura in pain. Never failing to unnerve him, the Kyuubi took this as an invitation to read his thoughts and fill in the blanks.

_"Why yes, you took quite a beating out there… It looks like I'll be wasting my precious chakra on your pitiful existence again." _The demon's smirk widened, the killing intent literally dripping off of it in the form of liquid chakra. Naruto gritted his teeth; the demon loved to play games with his mind, and there was little to do about it, if anything at all.

"What do you want this time," Naruto said solemnly, bowing his head in impotence. He knew what was coming, as he remembered what had passed for him to end up in this cursed place again. The demon chuckled, salivating chakra, and ending with a deep, low growl.

_"Take a close look at that Gaara child, boy… _That _is the true power of a jinchuuriki. _That_ is what you have been missing out on, as a result of your futile refusal to embrace my powers." _Naruto remained silent, enduring the lecture his tenant gave him. He knew it couldn't take long for the fox to start its usual pleas for release again. And indeed, shortly after he'd thought that, the Kyuubi growled again. _"Unleash the true potential I can awaken, Naruto… I can show you true power."_

Pheh, so predictable.

He was right, though, as much as Naruto hated to admit it. There seemed simply no other option than to make use of the horrifying powers of the demon – Gaara did, as well, and that was the reason he was here in the first place. Damn.

Naruto walked over to the cage, slowly, calculating every step. Once he was within an arm's reach of the seal that restrained the demon, he peeled at the edge of it and watched the maniacal glint in the Kyuubi's eyes.

Then, his hand formed a fist and slammed down on the seal, firmly keeping it in place and actually startling the Kyuubi.

"I would rather die here and now knowing that I did everything in my _own_ power than sell my soul to the likes of you!"

Warping back to the present day, Naruto scrambled up from the floor and charged. His punch connected with Gaara's head.

Retribution.

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><p>[Author's Note]<p>

Of course, the Kyuubi meddled in Naruto's fight with Gaara. Of course he tried to use him as an example of what Naruto'd be capable of. I hope you enjoyed it and please, don't be rude. Leave a review. Thanks.

Signed,  
><em>VictimofYourOwnCreation<em>


	5. Release the Dark Within

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**The Number of the Beast  
><strong>_-  
>5. Release the Dark Within<em>

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><p>There was a first to everything.<p>

Even admitting that an enemy was simply too strong for him.

No amount of hate could ever have kept him running against such an overwhelming force. Even with the village destroyed, hundreds of lives – comrades and villagers alike – taken by this… this _monster_ and his minions, and even the deathly screech of agony coming from the girl he once loved; nothing sufficed for him to summon the strength to stand up.

There was no use in fighting anymore.

Even with his new Sage powers, which outranked even his late sensei Jiraiya's, his enemy was still miles ahead of where he was. And if he took one of the six paths out, another would just revive it with its techniques. It was a cycle without an end, and he was trapped in the midst of it all. Caught in the vortex, helpless, _powerless_ like a leaf in a tornado.

"Now you are familiar with a share of my pain."

Naruto gasped in pain when chakra-draining blades were stabbed through his hands, elbows and knees, effectively pinning him to the ground. Had he been unable to force himself to stand up before, now it was absolutely impossible for him to move.

There was one way, though…

No.

_No._

He'd rather _die_ than stoop that low.

His vision went blurry as his energy was leeched from him through the enchanted blades, to the extent that even focusing his vision proved to be next to impossible, let alone staying conscious long enough to see the events that unfolded before him. He heard the muffled sound of the Akatsuki leader sneering at him, incoherent words of pain, peace through fear and other philosophical beliefs.

The next thing he knew, Hinata was blocking his view at the enemy. He wasn't able to fully comprehend her words either, but one sentence rang through his head so clear that it was hard to believe he didn't just imagine it.

"…Because I love you…"

In a nanosecond, Naruto made up his mind and entered the lair of the Kyuubi. The beast looked up from its diabolic slumber, surprised to see the boy here on his own accord. It smirked, baring its wicked teeth, finally seeing its patience being rewarded, and allowed its trademark malicious snicker to escape its mouth. The boy didn't flinch. The boy didn't frown. He just stood there, broken, beat, scarred and desperate.

_"Naruto…"_

Naruto gulped and silence lingered for a second, before the boy swallowed all of his pride and looked down in defeat. "I need you."

_"You know at what price my… 'help' comes, do you not?"_ the Kyuubi inquired, its wicked smirk growing broader by witnessing the discomfort of the boy, who nodded while still refusing to look the demon in the eye. With a snarl of focused power, the Kyuubi allowed a fairly large portion of chakra to seep through the cage that bound him to this hellhole. Naruto didn't even attempt to fight it; if anything, he embraced the familiar feeling of power, the power that literally exploded on the outside.

No less than six tails grew from his body, which was covered in red-black chakra, along with a bone structure of sorts. No longer did the boy have any control over his movements, thoughts, or even most of his soul. He was deranged to a mere puppet of the Kyuubi's chakra.

But it still wasn't enough.

Falling to his knees, Naruto cried out in desperation and agony, both enraged and driven to the brink of sanity by the impossible question Pain had asked him. "Someone please give me the answer! _Help me!_"

The seal on his stomach turned the color of blood, while it whirled around and opened up for most of the demon's chakra to seep out and form eight tails.

_"Destroy everything… Everything that causes suffering. Come to me, and release this accursed seal once and for all…"_

Naruto raised his hand and tugged.

A yellow flash.

"…Yondaime?"

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><p>[Author's Note]<p>

Thanks to **GoneBonkers** for handing me the idea, and being my only (I'm glaring at the _rest_ of you people who read this. You know who you are) faithful reviewer. I hope you enjoyed it and please, don't be rude. Leave a review. Thanks.

Signed,  
><em>VictimofYourOwnCreation<em>


	6. Fight Fire with Fire

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**The Number of the Beast  
><strong>_-  
>6. Fight Fire with Fire<em>

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><p>Neither of them had any idea how long they had been at it, and frankly, neither of them cared. Then again, this was far beyond simple rivalry – no one in their right mind struck their rival with the intent to kill.<p>

Sasuke Uchiha had just done that.

This could mean two things: either Sasuke Uchiha had officially lost his mind and was now on a rampage or their rivalry had just turned into animosity. Seeing as how the Uchiha seemed perfectly aware of his actions and didn't show any of the symptoms of insanity (somehow those showed up in his mind as if he had known them all along), Naruto's bet was on the latter.

The gaping wound in his shoulder was far beyond hurting; the size and severity of it were too large for it to be able to hurt. The jutsu Sasuke had used hadn't simply struck the blonde's shoulder – it had _pierced _him. Ran right through flesh and bone alike.

Sad part of the story is that his opponent actually seemed to enjoy inflicting pain upon his best friend.

One would only have to look at Sasuke's smirk to reach the same conclusion. Even when he stated that he was amazed that the blonde had been able to alter the course of the blow and evade getting his heart torn to shreds, his voice was laced with something that could only be explained as disappointment.

Swiftly losing consciousness, Naruto only caught half of his nemesis' monologue at most, needing all his strength to keep himself from falling into the unventured depths below and suffer a slow, painful death by drowning. Cynically, he was counting down the seconds until the Kyuubi would take control over his body and invade his mind. As if to pester the blonde, the demon waited two seconds longer before snickering maliciously as always.

_"His Sharingan got stronger… What kind of predicament did you stumble into this time, you insolent fool?"_

Naruto had a hard time catching his breath, even inside the depths of his own mind. "Fu-fuck you, damn… fox… Make y-y-yourself useful… for once…"

The Kyuubi smirked, having hoped for the blonde to say that. The more he did, the easier it was for the demon to gain his complete trust. _"Gladly." _The Kyuubi licked his lips. _"Just remember that it's far from the first time, boy…"_

It was as if Naruto was watching a movie from then on. Sasuke was being outclassed on every front, and the blonde almost liked how he saw the fight draw to its conclusion. The only part that bugged him was that the Kyuubi was beating his best friend into tomorrow, instead of a real enemy. But Sasuke had really shattered his shoulder with that Chidori earlier, and that was the least of the crimes he had committed, and was committing, to the Leaf.

With a particularly ferocious swipe, Kyuubi-Naruto sliced Sasuke's forehead protector, right across the symbol of the village. It was as ironic as it was symbolic; deep down, Naruto knew that there was little hope that the Uchiha he once considered his friend was ever returning.

Like hell he would tell the rest that, though. He'd rather be killed here by Sasuke's hand than have to tell her that he hadn't been able to live up to his word.

_"Not so morbid, boy. The arrogance of the Uchiha will spell his downfall."_

Then Sasuke transformed, finally unlocking the true potential of Orochimaru's curse mark. There was little left that could define him as human, as his skin had turned a dark gray and his hands and feet showed long, sharp claw-like nails. Two wings, shaped like hands, grew from his back. Naruto could feel the Kyuubi forcefully taking more and more control over his body, to the point where he was pushed into unconsciousness.

He woke up to the smiling face of Kakashi with no recollection of what happened after Sasuke's transformation. "You did well, Naruto. Have some rest."

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><p>[Author's Note]<p>

How I never thought of this before is beyond me, but here is the battle at the Valley of the End. It doesn't stack up to the last one, but it turned out better than I had hoped, considering the motivation (or lack thereof) I had for writing this one. I hope you enjoyed it and please, don't be rude. Leave a review. Thanks.

Signed,  
><em>VictimofYourOwnCreation<em>


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